Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning in Upland, CA | Mantel Chimney Sweep
We provide independent DuraFlex chimney cleaning and service across Upland, and the one thing that makes our work here different is this: we know how Santa Ana winds and Upland’s older masonry flues interact with DuraFlex liners, caps, and dampers in ways that don’t show up in a parts catalog. We’re not authorized, sponsored, or endorsed by DuraFlex. What we are is a chimney repair company that has installed, diagnosed, and serviced their components across Upland’s foothill and downtown neighborhoods for years. If your DuraFlex setup is collecting creosote faster than it should, or a cap is rattling loose after a wind event, call (844) 821-5749 for a free estimate.
Why Upland Residents Choose Us for DuraFlex Service
Most chimney sweeps can clean a flue. Fewer can look at a DuraFlex stainless liner with a separated bottom seam and know whether to re-crimp it or replace it. That’s the difference. Roland Vega, our owner, learned the trade at Mt. San Jacinto College, where an instructor showed him how a neglected flue liner can fill a living room with smoke in a single season. He’s spent well over a decade cleaning and inspecting chimneys across the Inland Empire, and he built Mantel Chimney Sweep around repair-grade expertise, not just sweeping. When we service a DuraFlex system in Upland, we’re looking at the whole system: liner integrity, cap anchoring, damper seal, crown condition. DuraFlex sales & service is part of our core work, and we stock genuine OEM caps, dampers, and liner connectors for exact-fit replacements in the 91784, 91785, and 91786 ZIP codes.
Styles & brands we work with





Common DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Upland
- Santa Ana wind damage to caps. DuraFlex caps with bolt-on legs loosen or shear off during sustained wind gusts, leaving the flue open to debris and bird nesting. We see this repeatedly in north Upland foothill homes, where caps that held fine through summer end up dangling by a single leg after the first fall wind event.
- Creosote packing in corrugated liners. DuraFlex flexible liners trap creosote and soot faster than smooth-wall alternatives. In Upland’s older masonry flues, which sit unused through hot, dry summers and then get heavy winter use, that buildup happens on a compressed schedule. A liner that looks clean in June can be badly loaded by December.
- Damper gasket dry-rot. Factory-supplied damper gaskets on DuraFlex universal dampers fail within a few seasons in Upland’s climate. The summer heat dries them out, and by winter they’re letting cold air and soot blow back into the living space when the fireplace is off.
- Bottom connector separation. Stainless liner seams can separate or crimp at the bottom connector after repeated thermal cycling. This lets creosote leak behind the liner and into the chimney chase, and it’s a problem we find on Upland mid-century fireplaces that see deep, hot burns after months of disuse.
- Bird nesting in uncapped or compromised flues. Santa Ana winds dislodge caps or shear off legs, and that open flue becomes an invitation. North Upland homes near the San Gabriel foothills get starlings and sparrows nesting in their flues during spring and summer, and the nest material is fully dry and flammable by the time fireplace season arrives.
DuraFlex Service in Upland: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
North Upland homes near the San Gabriel foothills sit in a wind corridor where Santa Ana events routinely dislodge or shear off chimney caps. We find missing or dangling DuraFlex caps on foothill roofs after almost every major wind event, a pattern far less common in lower-elevation neighboring cities, though we do offer DuraFlex service in Montclair, or Chino. What that means for your DuraFlex liner is direct: a cap that loses its anchor leaves the flue open to rain, debris, and nesting, and a corrugated stainless liner that’s already creosote-prone gets worse when it’s loaded with nesting material. On a fall cleaning in the 91784 foothill neighborhood north of Foothill Boulevard, our tech pulled an active starling nest out of an uncapped clay flue that had a DuraFlex cap dangling by one rusted leg after a Santa Ana wind event. We re-secured the liner-to-cap connection, installed a new DuraFlex multi-flue cap with wind-rated legs, and swept two seasons of creosote out of the corrugated liner before the homeowner’s first burn. The homeowner told us the cap had been banging against the chase since the previous January. If you live above Foothill Boulevard or anywhere in the north-side hills, check your cap after the first wind event of the season. If it’s loose, call us before the first cold snap.
DuraFlex Models & Products We Service in Upland
We service the full DuraFlex product line you’re likely to find on an Upland fireplace: the DuraFlex SS Flexible Chimney Liner Kit, the DuraFlex Deluxe Chimney Cap, the DuraFlex Multi-Flue Cap, and the DuraFlex Universal Damper. When a part fails, we stock genuine DuraFlex OEM caps, dampers, and liner connectors for exact-fit replacements. When OEM parts are backordered or when a custom cap better suits an irregular Upland chimney crown, we use quality aftermarket stainless liners and caps from industry suppliers we trust. We’ll always tell you whether a DuraFlex component can be re-seated, re-gasketed, or re-clamped versus when replacement is the safer call. No upselling on parts that still have service life. That’s the whole point of working with a repair company, not a sweep-only operator who can report a problem but not fix it.
See the difference
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After
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AfterDuraFlex Service Pricing in Upland
What you’ll pay for DuraFlex service in Upland depends on what we find. A standard chimney cleaning with a visual inspection typically runs $180 to $340, and if your liner is corrugated and heavily loaded, the cleaning itself takes longer. Cap replacement runs $350 to $700, while linear foot pricing for liner repair typically lands between $50 and $150. Damper gasket replacement is usually $100 to $300. Here’s the honest part: nothing gets recommended without camera evidence you can see for yourself. If your cap can be re-secured, we’ll tell you. If a gasket is gone, we’ll show you the dry-rotted one we pulled. Call (844) 821-5749 for an exact quote, and we’ll walk the chimney with you before any work starts.
| DuraFlex Service | Typical Range (Upland) |
|---|---|
| Chimney cleaning with inspection | $180 – $340 |
| DuraFlex cap replacement | $350 – $700 |
| Liner repair/replacement | $50 – $150 per linear foot |
| Damper gasket replacement | $100 – $300 |
Those are line-item ranges, not quotes. The exact price comes from what your specific flue and chase look like, and we’ll put it in writing before we touch anything. Call (844) 821-5749 for a free estimate. No obligation, and you’ll know exactly what you’re dealing with.
Serving Upland, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Upland area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning in Upland
My DuraFlex cap blew loose after a Santa Ana wind event – can you re-attach it or do I need a new one? It depends on what failed. If the legs are intact and the mounting bolts just backed out, we can re-seat and re-torque the cap and have you done in one visit. If the legs sheared off or the cap body is deformed from banging against the chase, we’ll recommend replacement, and we’ll show you the damage before you decide. Call (844) 821-5749 and we’ll take a look.
Why does my DuraFlex flexible liner collect so much creosote in Upland compared to what neighbors describe? Corrugated liners inherently trap more creosote than smooth-wall alternatives, and Upland’s pattern of long disuse followed by heavy winter burns makes it worse. Every ridge in the corrugation is a place where soot catches and builds. The fix isn’t a different liner, it’s scheduling cleanings before the burning season starts and not skipping years. Call (844) 821-5749 if you’re due.
Do you see bird nests in DuraFlex-capped flues in Upland, or only in uncapped ones? Both, actually. An intact DuraFlex cap keeps birds out, but once Santa Ana winds loosen legs or shear off a bolt, the cap shifts and creates an opening. We also find nests in flues where the cap was installed on an irregular crown and left a gap at the base. Foothill homes get the worst of it, but we’ve pulled nesting out of capped flues all over Upland. If you hear scratching in the chimney, call (844) 821-5749.
Can you repoint or waterproof the chimney crown around my DuraFlex liner without pulling the liner? Yes. Crown work is done from the top, outside the liner, so the liner stays in place. We use professional-grade waterproofing materials and proper crown repair methods, and we check the liner-to-cap connection while we’re up there. Many Upland crowns from the 1950s and 60s are cracked enough to let water in, which is exactly how a good liner gets undermined. Call (844) 821-5749 to get the crown looked at.
My DuraFlex damper leaks cold air and soot into the house when the fireplace is off – is that a gasket issue? Most of the time, yes. The factory gasket on a DuraFlex universal damper dries out and loses its seal, especially after Upland’s hot summers. Cold air and soot blow back through the gap when the fireplace is idle. Replacing the gasket is straightforward, and we keep OEM gaskets on the truck for exact fit. Call (844) 821-5749 and we’ll check it.
Service Areas Near Upland
We serve Upland and the surrounding communities, including Upland service area coverage for Montclair, Claremont, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and San Antonio Heights. If you’re in Moreno Valley, March Air Force Base, Loma Linda, Highgrove, Mead Valley, or Grand Terrace, our DuraFlex service in Murrieta Hot Springs and DuraFlex service in Murrieta pages may also be relevant for neighbors to the south. Call (844) 821-5749 to confirm we cover your address.
Book Your DuraFlex Service in Upland Today
If your DuraFlex cap is loose, your liner is loading up, or your damper is letting cold air in, we can help. Call (844) 821-5749 for a free estimate and we’ll schedule a time that works. Roland Vega will walk the chimney with you, show you what we find, and give you a straight recommendation. A clean chimney isn’t a luxury, it’s just the part of the house you can’t see until something goes wrong.
Written by Roland Vega, Owner at Mantel Chimney Sweep, serving Upland and the surrounding Inland Empire.